Bar Council of Delhi notice barring 4,778 lawyers from practice put on hold [Read Letter]

The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) has asked authorities at courts and tribunals in the capital to refrain from taking action on its recent request to prohibit 4,788 lawyers from practicing at various fora. These lawyers were earlier stated to have failed the All India Bar Exam (AIBE) since 2010.

A letter issued today, signed off by the BCD Secretary, states:

“Kindly refer to our letter…dated 26.08.2019 regarding a list of 4,778 Advocates, who were said to have not cleared All India Bar Examination, conducted by Bar Council of India. In this behalf, this is to inform you that in view of some discrepancies having come to our notice in the said list, the said letter dated 26.08.2019 may not be acted upon until further communication.“

In a letter dated August 26, the Bar Council of Delhi had earlier stated that 4,778 advocates on its rolls had not been able to clear the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) since 2010.

Consequently, the BCD had requested authorities of the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, and other courts and tribunals in the capital to ensure that these advocates are not allowed to practice or to vote in any Bar election. A list of these 4,778 advocates was also sent to the concerned authorities.

Weeks after the August 26 letter was issued, the BCD admitted to significant errors in its list of 4,778 lawyers. The names of several lawyers who passed the AIBE and obtained a Certificate of Practice had erroneously been included in the list circulated last week.

To remedy the many errors that had crept into the list, the BCD had also called on lawyers whose names were erroneously included in the prohibited list to WhatsApp their Certificate of Practice and Enrolment Certificate. Necessary corrections will be issued once the list is re-verified.

[Read the BCD letter issued today]

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